Franklin Road Christian School students in Novi volunteer hundreds of hours around Metro Detroit

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Franklin Road Christian School in Novi held their annual serve-a-thon, and 300 students, 60 parents and 30 teachers joined together to serve at 16 different locations throughout the Metro Detroit region.

The first-grade class went to Heritage Park in Farmington Hills, where they helped clean up a trail, spread mulch and paint butterfly houses. The students learned about nature as they went on a walk with a naturalist to pick up pine cones and rocks from the trail. They worked hard spreading mulch over the picnic area. They ended the morning by putting colorful hand prints on two butterfly houses to help attract butterflies.

Middle school and high school students spent the day weeding, raking, trimming hedges and picking up trash to help clean up the parking lot area of the Doctor's Hospital of Michigan in Pontiac.

A group of 20 middle school and high school students skipped the classroom to serve Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac. They raked, bagged and gathered more than 50 bags of debris from the cemetery grounds.

Sixth grader Marlow Webster said he enjoyed "seeing and making new friends. But that's not the only reason. Another reason is that we get to do something that is good and puts a smile on peoples' faces. It's fun to help people because you know you're doing something right."

Eleventh grader Kristen Massey shares, "It's important to have a serve-a-thon day at FRCS because we are a Christian school that believes in a God that was sent here to serve and not be served, and we plan to follow in His example as Christians and serve others around us."

Kaila Polk added, "I enjoy getting the chance to serve others alongside my friends. It is important to serve others with a joyful heart. Getting the chance to serve with friends helps make the experience more enjoyable as well."

Brecken Mumford said, "With friends, everything, even good things, is more enjoyable. Knowing we are making a difference in someone's life really puts a smile on my face."

A group of middle and high school students gave back at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Headquarters. Due to the struggling economy, Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries has experienced a decrease in donations and is in need of cards and letters to be sent to their donors. Franklin Road Christian School students hand wrote more than 130 cards with personalized requests for support for Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries. Each card featured a picture of something hoped for by the children who are homeless.

"It's really touching when you see these cards and the kinds of things the kids are hoping for, things that we take for granted," said Brianna Robison, a Franklin Road sixth grader.

"I'm usually a 'one-man-show,'" she said. "Having all your help is like heaven to me."

The fourth-grade class, led by their teacher Geri Yost, visited four local nursing homes and recited poems for the residents. The audience was all smiles as they sang along to the songs of their youth. Many residents asked the group to visit again and said they were excited about caroling in December.

Franklin Road Christian School is located at 40800 W. 13 Mile Road in Novi. For more information, call 248-668-7104 or visit FranklinRoadChristianSchool.org.